Final Stats

DeKALB - The NIU baseball team (13-17, 4-5 MAC) looked poised to capture the series finale versus Kent State (17-11, 6-3 MAC), totaling nine hits including three leadoff doubles but the Huskies couldn't bringing the runs around as they fell to the Golden Flashes, 10-3. NIU left nine on men on base in the game.

Both Jason Gasser (Dyer, Ind./Mt. Carmel) and Brad Wood (Orland Park, Ill./St. Laurence) finished the day 3-for-4 with a double. Wood added a run to his credit and Gasser had an RBI while Justin Fletcher (Pekin, Ill./Illinois Central College) was 2-for-4 with a double and a run. Kent State's Tommy Monnet was 3-for-4 with two homers and three RBI to his credit, lifting the Golden Flashes home run total to six in the series.

On the mound, Andrew Frankenreider (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) was perfect in his 2.2 innings of work, striking out two batters and retiring all eight batters he faced in the contest.

KSU jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the fifth inning, putting up two runs in the second and three in the fourth and fifth innings. NIU accounted for one run in the bottom of the fifth as Wood led off the inning with a double. After Stephen Letz (Dyer, Ind./South Suburban College) was hit by a pitch, NIU loaded the bases on a single by Fletcher. Gasser scored Wood on a ground out to first base to make it 8-1.

The Huskies cut their deficit to five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning as they scored two runs to make it an 8-3 game. NIU loaded the bases after a double by Fletcher, a single by Gasser and Tony Brandner (Richfield, Wis./Hartford Union/Winthrop) drew a walk. Brian Sisler (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) scratched the first run across on a groundout to the shortstop and Wes Sery (Bloomington, Ill./Normal West) brought the second run home after getting hit in the back on a 3-1 pitch.

The Golden Flashes scored two more runs with one in the eighth and one in the ninth with Monnet's second home run of the day, hitting a line drive to left centerfield and out of the confines to cap the scoring, 10-3.

NIU had its chances for victories on the weekend as it left 13 runners on base in the series opener Friday and nine on Saturday and Sunday to total 31 runners left on base in the series.

The Huskies will return to action Tuesday, April 7 when it heads to Illinois State. First pitch with the Redbirds is set for 3 p.m. Central at Duffy Bass Field.